Lighting within the passenger compartment of automotive vehicles has both utilitarian and aesthetic aspects. It is primarily important to provide sufficient functional lighting in the passenger compartment to allow occupants to safely and confidently enter and exit the vehicle during conditions of darkness (night time, dusk, inside parking structures, etc.). The interior lighting should be sufficient to allow the driver and passengers to stow/retrieve personal effects (purses, phones, etc.), fasten/unfasten restraint belts, and generally be comfortably situated in the vehicle.
Aesthetic considerations, although secondary to safety and convenience, are also important. It is recognized that attractive lighting in appropriate colors and intensities may create an emotional connection with the driver and passengers which may contribute greatly to the vehicle ownership experience.
It is desirable to provide a more sophisticated vehicle interior illumination that is well harmonized with the various Stages of occupant ingress and egress.